FOX Sports: Chiefs could miss playoffs

FOX Sports used the NFL’s 2026 schedule release to make a sharper claim than the usual calendar breakdown: the Kansas City Chiefs are no longer being treated as an automatic playoff team. In a May 19 analysis column, FOX Sports NFL reporter Henry McKenna listed “the Chiefs could miss the playoffs” among four immediate observations after the schedule became official. The piece also pointed to the New Orleans Saints as a possible offensive surprise and treated rest and bye-week placement as a central part of the league’s schedule story. (foxsports.com) The NFL announced the 2026 regular-season schedule on May 14, saying the 18-week, 272-game slate will begin on Sept. 9 in Seattle and end on Jan. 10 after Week 18 division games. FOX Sports published separate pages with the full schedule for all 32 teams and post-release win-loss projections. ### Why did FOX center Kansas City in its first-wave reaction? Henry McKenna’s May 19 column framed Kansas City as one of the most notable teams to watch after the schedule release, writing that the Chiefs could miss the postseason. (foxsports.com) FOX’s search preview for the story also described the piece as explaining “why the Chiefs could miss the playoffs” and “why the Saints could be an offensive force.” FOX did not present the schedule release as only a list of marquee games. (media.nfl.com) The network paired McKenna’s reaction column with a broader package of schedule coverage, including team-by-team listings and projected records published immediately after the NFL’s May 14 release. ### What was the broader scheduling backdrop this year? The NFL said the 2026 season will include 272 regular-season games across 18 weeks, with games played from Wednesday through Monday. (foxsports.com) The league said the opener will be Sept. 9, when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots. FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, in a separate May 15 takeaways piece, focused on schedule quirks that went beyond headline matchups. Auman wrote that bye-week fairness stood out because some teams will repeatedly face opponents coming off extra rest, while 14 teams will not face a single opponent coming off a bye. (foxsports.com) He cited the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers as teams that each play four such games. ### Where do the Saints fit into FOX’s argument? (media.nfl.com) FOX’s May 19 article preview identified the Saints as another team that stood out in the first reaction to the schedule. The preview said the column explained why New Orleans “could be an offensive force,” putting the Saints alongside Kansas City and Pittsburgh in the story’s framing. FOX’s broader post-release coverage showed the network using the schedule to move quickly into team-level forecasts. (foxsports.com) Its projections page said the outlet was predicting records for all 32 teams after the release, rather than waiting for training camp or preseason results. ### How much of this was about logistics rather than opponents? USA Today’s bye-week roundup, published May 18, underscored the same issue FOX highlighted: once the full schedule is out, every team’s off week and midseason rhythm become part of the competitive discussion. (foxsports.com) FOX’s own schedule analysis made rest imbalance one of the immediate themes of the release. The NFL said its schedule-making process weighs more than 26,000 factors, including stadium availability, travel, primetime windows and competitive fairness. (foxsports.com) That gives context to why FOX’s analysis focused on byes, holiday placements and rest edges, not just rivalry games. ### What comes next in FOX’s coverage? FOX Sports said full schedules for all 32 teams are already available, and its projections page published record calls across the league after the May 14 release. (usatoday.com) The 2026 regular season opens on Sept. 9 with Seahawks-Patriots, and Kansas City’s path will be tested within a schedule now being parsed for both opponents and rest structure. (foxsports.com) (media.nfl.com)